The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1887-02-02
CURES BY HYPNOTISM.
THE MARVELLOUS WORK OF DOCTOR
CHARCOT. OF PARIS.


CHiRCOT. OF PARIS.
Nervous Diseases Controlled by Transmits
sion and the Aid of a Magnet.
New YORK, January 29.-The Herald's
Paris correspondent sends the following
interview special:
DR.. Charcot said: call sorts of ex-
aggerated accounts have appeared about
the experiments in transmission of
hypnotism. In fact, unless the public
are provided with precise information in
matters of scientific discovery, they
naturally mistake the North Pole for the
South Pole, and error and confusion be-
come widely disseminated"
evil you give the Herald" I asked,
SO statement making clear to the public
mind the exact state Of medical science
concerning hypnotic discoveries?"
Certainly" replied DR.. Charcot.
''These experiments are conducted under
my general direction by DR.. BabinsE.
This is how Dr. Babinski carries them
on: The subjects are seated back to back
and a magnet is held to the side of one
Of them. 1t is not necessary that there
should be actual contact between the
subjects, but if there is the transmission
is more rapid than when they are at
distance from one another
TRIAL OF GIRL PATIENTS.
sThe experiments of DR.. Babinsk
must be divided into several categories.
To the first category belong experiments
made on two young girls who suffered
from hysterical epilepsy and exhibited
all the phenomena of extreme hypnotism
as they have been described my me.
The patients werefrst hypnotized. Then
DR.. Babinski produced, first in one and
then in the other, different apparent
hysterical symptoms Of paralysis of the
arm and Of the leg, coxalgia, dumbness,
etc. The patient thus attacked by an
artificial hysterical affection is brought
into rapport with his companion, near
whom the magnet has been placed. In
a few moments a transfer takes place,
the symptoms disappear in No. / patient
and reappear at the same instant in No.
p. They pass thus from one to the
other. Moreover, it is easy, by sug-
gestion, to rid No. 2 patient Of the afec-
tion.
how MALADIEs MAY BE CURED.
':In a second category Of experiments
N. Bakinsh took male or female patients
presenting different phases of hysteria,
not artiiciauy induced in this case, but
manifested spontaneously-that is to
say, Independently of all suggestion
such, in fact, as to lead to the admission
Of the patients IN question into the hos
pital. He then placed them in rapport
with one or the other of the subjects of
experiment referred to above. These he
hypnotized preiminarily, and at their
side put the magnet. The hypnotized
subject thereupon at once displayed the
same manifestations OF hysterla as those
Of the patient at whose side he had been
placed. But the latter retained his
malady at the end of the experiment.
'M. Bakinski then, by suggestion, re-
lieves the hypnotized subject of the
affection that has been transmitted to
him, and resumes the experiment. By
repeating the maneuyre number of
times more or less considerable he has
succeeded in several cases in bringing
about an attenuation and even complete
cure of the malady."
OTHER CASES OF SUCCESSFUL TREATMENT.
"Here, for instance, are few of the
observations made by NJ. Bakinski:: In
two cases he obtained complete cure
OF hysteric dumbness; one Of them was
of eight days and the other of two
months standing. He succeeded in
causing the disappearance in a few days
of hysteric paralysis in the right side Of
the body OF a years standing. In q
quarter of an hour and after four success
siYe experiments he cured a case Of
hemiplegy that had arisen ten hours
previously. The attempt must be the
oftener repeated the older the affection
happens to be.
''In a third category Of experiments
NJ. BakinsA obtained the transmission
to hypnotized subject of certain phe-
nomena associated with organic afec-
tions OF the nervous system, such as
softening of the brain and cerebral
hemtanthropia in children. These Last
experiments yet needed completing.
". CHARcoTs CONCLUSIONS.
''The different experiments here dis
cussed will be seen to have interest for
on the one hand and for
therapeutics on the other. But NJ.
BaGnsh thinks that they are not yet
numerous enough to make possible the
construction OF any theory on the sub
ject, and it is his intention to continue
his researches. In the present state Of
science it is impossible to explain in any
way the mechanism Of the transmission
in question from one subject to another.
But what of that? Facts must always
be accepted when they are vigorously
observed, even if their inner meaning be
Now, as the facts stated
above have been ascertGned with all the
method and yigor that ought to be en-